Cleveland police have slammed Cleveland Browns player Andrew Hawkins for wearing a T-shirt calling for justice in the police shooting of Tamir Rice during a warm-up before Sunday 's NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals .

The Browns receiver 's shirt read `` Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III '' when he walked out onto the field before the game .

Tamir , 12 , was fatally shot in November by a Cleveland police officer , while police shot and killed John Crawford III , 22 , in a Walmart in Beavercreek , Ohio , in August .

Jeffrey Follmer , president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen 's Association , criticized Hawkins ' on-field protest .

`` It 's pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law . They should stick to what they do best on the field , '' Follmer told CNN in a statement .

`` The Cleveland Police protect and serve Browns stadium , '' he said . `` The Browns organization owes us an apology . ''

Medical examiners ruled Friday that Tamir 's death was a homicide . Authorities said the officer who shot him mistook the child 's air gun for a real firearm .

Tamir was pointing a pellet gun at people outside a recreation center before he was shot , police said . A witness called 911 to say that a black male -- `` probably a juvenile '' -- was pointing `` a pistol '' at people but added twice that the gun was `` probably '' fake .

Two officers arrived in a police car . Within two seconds of exiting the car , Officer Timothy Loehmann shot Tamir , and the boy died the next day , police said .

Police have said that Loehmann opened fire after Tamir reached for the gun in his waistband and that an orange tip indicating the gun was a toy had been removed .

Follmer described the shooting of a 12-year-old as `` unfortunate . ''

`` But the facts are , that he appeared to be a 20-year-old male . In the eyes of a Cleveland police officer his physical appearance exceeded Andrew Hawkins ' profile , '' Follmer said . He noted that the Browns player was 5 feet 7 inches and weighed 170 pounds , compared to Tamir 's 5 feet 7 inches and 195 pounds .

The Cleveland Browns ' vice president of communications , Peter John-Baptiste , said the NFL team has `` great respect '' for the work of the Cleveland police .

`` We also respect our players ' rights to project their support and bring awareness to issues that are important to them if done so in a responsible manner , '' he said .

In September , a grand jury decided not to indict police officers in Crawford 's shooting death .

But Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the U.S. Justice Department would review the Cincinnati resident 's shooting .

Crawford was shot and killed by police at a Walmart in Beavercreek on August 5 while carrying an air rifle through the store . Police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 and told dispatchers that Crawford was walking around with a rifle and `` waving it back and forth . ''

According to police , when officers arrived , Crawford did not comply with their commands to drop his weapon .

He was shot twice , once in the elbow and once in the torso , the prosecutor said , and died shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital .

The police criticism of Hawkins in Cleveland followed a similar controversy involving St. Louis Rams players over the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri . The St. Louis Police Officers Association said it was `` profoundly disappointed '' after five Rams players raised their hands before a November 30 game in solidarity with protesters upset about Brown 's death .

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Cleveland Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins wears a protest T-shirt before game

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Hawkins ' shirt read `` Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford III ''

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Tamir Rice , 12 , and John Crawford III , 22 , were both shot dead by police officers

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Cleveland police association says players `` should stick to what they do best ''